The present invention relates to power kites of the type controlled by at least two forward and two rear lines on each side. In particular, the present invention relates to an arrangement of the lines in the form of a bridle, allowing for easy launching of the kite.
Power kites are a new breed of kites which are designed primarily toward the sport of kiteboarding, in which a person is pulled along, preferably on the surface of a body of water, by the force of the kite. It is necessary for such a kite to be simple to use, yet have sufficient strength and controllability. A preferred kite is taught by the inventors in U.S. Pat. No. 4,708,078, which is incorporated herein by reference, and which relates to a kite in the form of a spherical gore, with a crescent shaped leading edge, and which is characterized by an inflatable armature.
There are also other variations of power kites, which also rely on a light, flexible structure, but which may, for example, have additional support in the center of the wing to provide a flatter profile at that point. Other kites may have retain the shape of a wing, but may not employ the spherical gore shape. Nevertheless, all of these kites, in order to be workable for kiteboarding, must have a degree of flexibility and should have some curvature at least toward the wing tips. These kites are generally characterized by an inflatable structure made of longitudinal and transversal tubes. Some kites have a xe2x80x9cram airxe2x80x9d type structure as in a paraglider, or a combination of the two. As a whole, these propulsive wing kites can be generally classified as xe2x80x98curved kitesxe2x80x99. While it is preferred to use the present invention with the kite shaped as a spherical gore, it should be clear that the bridle of the invention can be employed with other curved kites.
A 4-line kite generally has two lines arriving at each of its two ends (or wing tips), a front line forward of the optimum center of lift of the kite, that can be called the xe2x80x9ccenter pointxe2x80x9d, and the rear line behind the center point. The front lines are preferably fixed to the body of the rider, for example by way of a belt. The rear lines are used for controlling the kite, turning and braking, and are preferably attached to a control bar.
When using a small kite, with a small aspect ration, the rider can rock the kite to its side by way of the control lines, in order to position it for relaunch, by directing the leading edge to catch the wind. However, as the aspect ratio of the kite increases with a larger kite, it becomes more difficult to launch the kite when it has fallen on its leading edge.
In a 4-line xe2x80x9cram airxe2x80x9d kites or others kites whose main lines are attached to bridles, a row of bridles is attached over the entire length of the trailing edge. Thus, by pulling on the rear lines, it is possible to launch the kite positioned on its leading edge, as the kite take can then launch in xe2x80x9creverse gearxe2x80x9d.
It is not effective to use this method on curved kites, however, as merely connecting the rear lines to a row of bridles fixed on the trailing edge does not give good results. This method allows for re-launching in reverse gear, but the overall flight quality deteriorates due to the overall complexity and unwanted effect of the trailing edge bridles pulling during flight. It is also possible to relaunch a kite by providing direct lines from the trailing edge to the rider, but again the complexity of the additional lines provides a negative effect.
The bridle according to the present invention solves this problem. It makes it possible to re-launch a kite with only the basic 4 lines reaching the rider, while also allowing continued flight, turning and control of the power of the kite. Indeed, during normal flight, the rear lines of the inventive bridle work as in traditional 4-line mode, exerting tension on the wing tips; while during launching, this tension is entirely transmitted to the trailing edge to allow for easy lift in xe2x80x9creverse gearxe2x80x9d.